Humphreys and Price plan rally glory

Bettws rally driver Dan Humphreys has set himself a top 10 finish target in the three-day National Rally that runs alongside the Wales Rally GB and includes challenging Mid and North Wales stages from 15-17 November.

Dan, 32, will have experienced co-driver Ian Price in the passenger seat of his Coinspinner-sponsored Mitsubishi Evo9 for the rally.

Dan is the second generation of the Humphreys family that Montgomery-based Price has co-driven. He formerly sat alongside Dan’s father, Dave, a former Welsh rally champion and five times Mid Wales Stages winner.

Following an impressive debut in the car in the Bill Gwynne Rallyschool Coracle Stages Rally based at the Sweetlamb Rally Complex near Llanidloes in August, Dan is hoping to maintain that form through forestry stages on home territory in the National.

“The car has been completely overhauled over the last couple of weeks to make sure that everything is 100 per cent for the rally,” said Humphreys, who lives at Bettws Cedewain.

“We face stiff competition in the National, but we are aiming for a top 10 finish out of 80 cars. It’s an endurance event and a lot can happen over three days of rallying, with cars falling by the wayside. Hopefully we are not one of them.

“It will be question of pacing ourselves rather than going flat out. It’s good that we know most of the forest stages, but we are expecting the weather conditions to be very slippery.”

He will be competing against the likes of BTRDA champion Euan Thorburn and local rivals Paul Walker from Oswestry and Sara Williams from Brecon.

His father, whose best finish in the former RAC Rally was 23^rd overall, will be in the back-up team to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Dan said he was grateful for the support of main sponsor Coinspinner, which has enabled him to enter the National for the first time. “Without the support of Coinspinner, we couldn’t even consider doing the event,” he added.

Next year, he hopes to compete in the Welsh National Championship and some rounds of the BTRDA Championship, dependent on sponsorship and would love to emulate his dad’s achievements.

Coinspinner, a Wales-based international company that specialises in supplying pay-to-play entertainment equipment to pubs and members clubs, is using the sponsorship of Dan’s rally car to promote its “Driving competition and fairness in gaming” campaign.

Lee Hammond, Coinspinner’s operations manager, said: “We wish Dan and Ian the best of luck and look forward to them making a big impact in the National Rally.”

The three-day National rally includes no fewer than 11 of the 13 Wales Rally GB stages, starting on Friday with challenging tests in Hafren, Sweet Lamb and Myherin in Mid Wales.

Saturday’s schedule includes four challenging stages – Gartheinog, Dyfi, Dyfnant and Chirk Castle. Sunday kicks off with a second run through Dyfnant and then follows the WRC route via Penllyn, Clocaenog and Kinmel Park before a dramatic conclusion on the historic Great Orme.

Picture caption: Dan Humphreys in action in his Coinspinner sponsored Mitsubishi Evo9.